OK KO: The Fight
by StrollinStu
Summary: In this story, K.O. fears having to fight a new bully who beat him up. This is by no means a masterpiece, being that it is my first attempt at a fanfic, and the longest thing I've ever written. I've become such a huge fan of OK K.O., that I wrote this as a way of expressing someideas and concepts I'd like to see in the show. Here is the first chapter. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**OK K.O.: The Fight**

Written by: Some dude in college

It was just another average day for K.O. He woke up, ate his breakfast, and went to school. He was his usual, upbeat and optimistic self.

He went to class like normal and sat down in his seat.

"Good morning K.O. You seem well-rested," said a familiar Kappa voice behind him.

"Hey Dendy!" he said with a smile. "You finish last night's homework?"

"K.O., you do realize Ms. Quantum always gives me extra work beyond what any person our age should be capable of completing," Dendy said. She then adjusted her glasses and they flashed. "And yet every time I'm up to the challenge."

K.O. chuckled nervously. "Uh, I'll take that as a yes." He then reached into his bag and pulled out his Pow-Card binder. "Wanna trade?"

"Of course, K.O.," Dendy responded. "You never have to ask. The answer will always be yes, as long as the situation is appropriate."

So, the two traded cards before class started. Once Ms. Quantum burst into the room, the two quickly hid away their cards and pretended to be taking notes.

It was like any other day.

During class, everyone was sectioned off to work in pairs on an assignment. Everyone in the class wanted to pair with Dendy given her intelligence, but they all knew who she'd pair up with.

But that never stopped K.O. from asking. "Wanna pair up Dendy?"

"Much like trading Pow cards, the answer is always yes, K.O." Dendy said.

"Hehe, sorry Dendy," K.O. said while awkwardly smiling, sweating and rubbing the back of his head.

The two got to work on the assignment. Halfway through class, K.O. realized he had to use the bathroom.

"Uh, Ms. Quantum, may I use the restroom?" He asked nervously, as his bladder level was rapidly rising.

"Fine, just don't lose it," Ms. Quantum replied. "And especially don't walk into the wrong bathroom… again," Ms. Quantum replied.

The class started laughing K.O. accepted the pass while staring up at her with a nervous expression. He was embarrassed. "Thank you," he said, and he immediately dashed out of the room.

He walked straight down the hall and found the restrooms at the end of it. He sat there for a moment and gazed at the two doors. He realized he was accidentally given the girls pass. This happened the last time he used the restroom in class, and it didn't end pretty.

He shuddered at the embarrassment that event caused. "Okay, even though this pass legally binds me to walking into the girl's restroom, I know that Ms. Quantum specifically told me to use the boy's restroom. Therefore, her word overrides everything that this pass says!" K.O. then raised the pass into the air. "Therefore, I legally have access to the boy's restroom!" He then finally walked in.

He walked in and noticed out of the corner of his eye someone standing by the sink. He didn't think much of it and went to the stall the conduct his business. He then walked out of the stall, washed, and dried his hands.

"Bright, shiny, and clean!" he said enthusiastically as his hands sparkled. "As mommy says, you can't be a hero with your hands dirty," he said staring down at his hands as he attempted to leave the bathroom.

"Ey," said the mysterious guy as he stuck out his arm to block the door. "Five techno's 'Mr. Clean Hands," he said in a mocking fashion. He looked like a small, red dragon like creature. He wore a brown leather jacket, and spiked bracelets

K.O. laughed a slight bit. "Ha-ha, you're funny. Everyone knows the restrooms are free for public use. Besides, you don't have to pay money to get in. Why would I have to pay to get out?"

"Don't be smart with me! It's called an exit toll scrub!" the bully said. "And you better pay it or it's going to get messy in here!" the bully then got in K.O.'s face. "ARE YOU GONNA PAY ME OR WHAT?!"

K.O. was taken aback, and a bit unsure what to do. He was used to this aggression from boxmore robots, but never from another student. He was sweating profusely while his eyes peered around looking for a way out. His mind was racing.

The bully was growling at K.O., but then he stopped. He smiled at K.O. "Ya know what, I won't make you pay the fee, or beat you up… right now."

"Wuh, really?" K.O. said as he lowered his hands. "So, you had a change of heart and will now reform your ways? That's great news!" K.O. threw his hands in the air in celebration.

"NO, YOU IDIOT!" screamed the bully. "Instead of fighting you here, I'll fight you in front of the school. Yeah. That'll teach you to not respect my policies."

"Fight? I love fighting!" K.O. said enthusiastically. "I'm a level 3 hero. I don't think you can beat me! But…"

"But what? Are you scaaaaared?" the bully taunted.

"No, I'm not scared!" K.O. said. "It's just think that we shouldn't fight during school. Or on school property, we could get kicked out. Plus, I only fight evil villains. I don't think you're evil, just very mean. Why don't you try being nicer instead of threatening people?"

The bully reeled back and slammed his fist into K.O.'s left eye, sending K.O. flying back into the wall. He then ran up and grabbed K.O. by the collar.

"DON'T PATRONIZE ME YOU WUSS!" the bully screamed. "You've made me even madder. I don't care what you think! We're going to fight one another tomorrow after class whether you like it or not. And if you don't, I'm going to tell everyone you wussed out. We'll see what others say about you after that. They'll call you a wuss. Everyone will laugh at you. You'll never be seen as a hero after that!"

"Well, what if I tell the principal? He'll put a stop to this!"

"Yeah it may, but think about what happens after that? That'll make you a snitch, and no one likes a snitch! You want people to like you, don't you K.O.?" He smiled evilly and then shoved K.O. against the wall and started walking out. "See you tomorrow, wuss."

K.O. was on one hand and his knees while he held his hand to his eye. He was shaking as well. He had no idea how the bully knew his name

"Oh, what am I going to do!?" K.O. began to monologue to himself. "If I fight, I'm going to get kicked out of school and disappoint everyone! If I drop out of school, I'm going to be a failure and not become a hero, but if I don't fight, no one's going to see me as a hero. I'm going to be a coward!"

He sat and pondered this for a moment, before he realized he needed to get back to class. He didn't want to go back, however. He was unsure and afraid of what to do.

He pulled down his headband slightly over his left eye and walked back to class.

"It's about time!" Ms. Quantum said as K.O. walked back in. "Did you clog it up again?" Ms. Quantum said.

K.O. said nothing. He put the pass on her desk and walked back to his desk which was pushed together with Dendy's.

"Don't let her get to you K.O.," Dendy said. "She's all about tough love. She embarrasses you so that you don't do it again. She does something like that to everyone."

"... I know Dendy," K.O. said in a low, downtrodden voice. "L-let's just get back to the assignment."

"Are you O.K. K.O.?" Dendy said as there was a random audience applause and cheer coming from the background.

"I'm fine," was all K.O. said.

They finished up the assignment. K.O. said nothing, and let Dendy find all the answers. K.O. wasn't as smart as Dendy, but he was still one of the brighter students in the class. He usually was able to find some of the answers to he and Dendy's group assignments.

The final bell rang, and school was out. Many of the kids flooded out of the school in excitement. Some walked home, others were picked up at the front. K.O. had work at Gars most every day right after school, so he always walked the couple blocks. Dendy sometimes walked with him, but today her dad was at the front to pick her up.

"Uh, hey Dendy, can I talk to you really quick?" K.O. began.

"I have to get going K.O., but you can feel free to text me later. I'm sorry," Dendy said. "Bye K.O.!"

"Bye Dendy," K.O. said in a low voice.

Dendy was a bit shocked by K.O.'s tone. He always told her goodbye with enthusiasm. She thought about this as she drove off with her dad.


	2. Chapter 2

**OK K.O.: The Fight**

Chapter 2

K.O. walked to the Bodega. He usually felt like singing and whistling on his way, but today was different.

He walked to the Bodega, where Enid and Rad were inside and hard at work doing nothing. Enid was laying on the counter as usual, and Rad was floating in place, laying down in the air with his arms behind head.

"Yo Enid, here comes our favorite little janitor!" Rad said.

"Janitor?" Enid said. "Calling him a janitor is an understatement. I'm pretty sure he does most of the work here."

K.O. walked in to the bodega, headband covering his eye, head hung low.

"Hey there little Brush-Head," Enid said smiling, waving her left hand while keeping her eyelids halfway closed. "How was school?"

"Uhhhh, it was… it was…" he said grabbing his arm and trembling a little bit. He them gave and awkward smile. "GREAT! It was awesome!"

Enid thought his response was odd but didn't really feel like digging deeper. "Ok, cool. Days been slow, so I doubt anything's going to happen. I think Cowboy Darrell went on vacation. Guess evil robots need rest too."

K.O. walked to the break room to put down his backpack. He decided to stay back there for a while. He was too sad to be motivated to work. He knew he had to show face at some point, so he walked out.

"Yo K.O.!" Rad exclaimed. "Wanna do some bowling with a watermelon and some cans? You know you still owe me a rematch!" Rad said in his usual confident, cocky manner.

"Hehe, yeah Rad. Of course." K.O. responded.

"Are you alright little squirt?" Rad asked. You're usually more eager to play this."

"He's probably tired from school and of you trying to challenge him all the time," Enid said. "We all know he wipes the floor with you every time."

"Oh yeah, Enid?" Rad responded. "Well prepare to be amazed!"

So, the boys began to partake in their makeshift athletic event. The main rule was they couldn't use their powers. It was all based on form. Rad always tried to throw the watermelon instead of rolling it, while K.O. always did a backflip and rolled the watermelon with two hands.

Rad was only able to knock down three cans. "Hehe, just warming up!"

"Riiiiiight. Keep telling yourself that," Enid said, peering her eyes over to her coworkers' makeshift game.

K.O. did his roll. He was usually very over the top, grunting loudly and giving it a hardy roll. He did his usual form but was way off track, only hitting three cans like Rad.

"Man K.O., your form is off today," Enid said.

"Yeah, and you didn't even do your usually loud grunts," Rad said. "And there were no flashing backgrounds either."

The two continued to play. Rad never got more than maybe five to six cans. Usually K.O. got 8-10 easily. But here he was barely able to keep up with Rad. They got to the final frame where Rad hit seven cans.

"A new personal best by yours truly!" Rad said while flexing his giant muscles.

K.O. rolled and completely missed all the cans.

"I won?!" Rad said, shocked. "Uh, I mean… Of course, I won. It was just Rad's time to shine baby!"

"Wow…" said Enid. "K.O., your game is off today. Is something wrong?" She sat up on the front of the counter and leaned in.

"Uh… uh…. NOPE! Everything's fine!" K.O. said awkwardly. "Just really tired from school! Yup, that's it! I'm tired!" He gave a fake smile to try to sell it.

Rad and Enid stared at him. It was obvious they were not buying it. Even though Rad was ecstatic he won, he had to admit to himself he probably wouldn't have won normally.

"GOING ON BREAK!" K.O. yelled as he raced to the back room. He slammed the door shut and he panted frantically. "I can't tell anyone. Especially them. I can't show them I'm weak!" He slid down the back of the door and laid on the ground.

He still had no idea what he was going to do. He couldn't tell anybody, he couldn't avoid the fight, but he didn't want to fight.

Meanwhile, Rad and Enid were staring at each other confused.

"I think somethings wrong with K.O.," Rad said.

"Oh really," Enid said mockingly. "I didn't notice one bit."

"Ok, you don't have to mock me," Rad said. "I'll watch the store if you go check on him."

Enid went over to the break room to talk to him. She turned the doorknob and it was locked. She started knocking on the door.

"K.O.! K.O.!" Enid yelled. "Is something wrong? We can talk about it!"

"I'm fine! Just tired!" K.O. yelled back.

Enid kept knocking and pleading, but it was no use. She was about to kick down the door, but the last time she did that, she got chewed out by Mr. Gar. The thought of it made her shudder

"Ugh! He won't come out," Enid said. "Something is definitely up. We gotta get him out of there. Go get his mom from the Dojo."

"She's gone for the day on some retreat with her friends or something," Rad said. "She came by earlier to get supplies. She said if something happens with K.O., to get Mr. Gar to handle it."

"I think he's on a mission," Enid said. "I'll give him a call anyways."

Before Enid could even hit a button on her phone, Mr. Gar came bursting through the ceiling.

"I FEEL A DISTURBANCE IN THE WORKPLACE! ENID!" Mr. Gar yelled. "RAD! K.O.! TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!" He then paused and looked around. He noticed K.O., who usually was the first one to line up, wasn't there.

"It's about K.O. sir!" Enid said giving Gar a salute and lining up with Rad, who saluted as well. "He's not acting like himself."

"Employee morale is low?" Gar said. "UNACCEPTABLE! Especially if it's K.O.! What's been happening with him?"

"He got here from school and seemed to be down about something," Enid said. "He's been acting all nervous and sweating everywhere."

"And he didn't even bother to mop up his sweat!" Rad complained. "He's usually very punctual about that."

"Hmmmmmmm…. I've think seen this before," Gar said. "OK! Here's the plan: you two do your jobs, and I'll go talk to K.O. GOT IT?!" His head grew big as he said it.

"Yes sir!" Rad and Enid said at the same time.

Gar felt a bit concerned. He rarely ever saw K.O. not acting like his optimistic and happy self. Gar also knew he might soon become K.O.'s step-father

Gar walked over to the back room and jiggled the doorknob. "K.O.! Why are you locked in the breakroom? Did the Pow card machine break again? I told you we can replace it in a business day. You'll be printing new cards tomorrow."

"N-no Mr. Gar! I'm just uh… tired!" K.O. said.

"K.O.," Gar began. "I can sense your lies. I've heard every employee excuse under the sun! And I can tell there's something wrong. Let me in, and we can talk it out."

No response.

"K.O., remember, I'm your big guy," Gar said. "You can talk to me. Just let me in."

The door creaked open slightly, and Gar walked in the room. He closed and locked the door behind him. K.O. walked back and sat in one of the chairs, rubbed his arm and looked away.

Gar picked up the other chair in the room, held it over his head, and walked it over and placed it next to K.O. He then sat down.

"Get your headband out of your eyes," Gar said. "I want you to look at me."

K.O. took off his headband.

"Looks like you got roughed up," Gar said. "Did you lose to a Darrel robot? There's no shame in that K.O. All heroes have their off days."

"It was at school," K.O. said. "Some jerk wanted me to pay him money to walk out of the bathroom."

"The old 'toll' method. Some things never change," Gar said. "So, what did you do?"

"Well I told him I could totally take him! But I didn't want to fight in school since that'd get me in trouble, and I don't want to be kicked out of school, because then mommy would get mad, AND WHEN SHE GETS MAD…" K.O. said in a long, unending series of sentences.

"K.O.! Calm yourself!" Gar yelled.

K.O. took a few moments to breath.

"Now, continue on. You didn't want to fight him on school property, and?" Gar asked.

"Well, he punched me and gave me this stupid bruised eye," K.O. said. "Then he screamed at me some more and told me he wanted to fight me tomorrow after school."

"What happened next?" Gar asked.

"He said if I didn't fight, then he'd tell everyone I'm a wuss, and that would ruin my chances of being a hero. I threatened to tell the principal, but he said that would make me a snitch. Being a snitch would also ruin my chances of becoming a hero. He somehow knew my name too."

Gars face went from his usual anger-esc face to a more concerned look. "Why didn't you tell somebody? This is serious. You should've told a teacher. That doesn't make you a snitch. That's taking control of the situation."

K.O. slouched onto the armrest of the chair. "I felt if anyone found out I got beat up, they'd call me a wuss and not take me seriously as a hero. I felt I couldn't tell anyone. I wanted to tell Dendy at least but she left before I could say anything. Now I'm really scared because I don't want to fight, because I could be kicked out, I can't tell anyone in fear of being a wuss, and never accomplishing my dream."

Enid then burst through the door with her leg, destroying it

"K.O. that's absolutely crazy!" she began. "He was obviously just trying to get to your head! Not fighting this guy and telling someone is a perfectly viable thing to do! Plus, I seriously doubt people would think you're a wuss."

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO DESTROY ANOTHER DOOR YOU KNOW! AND YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN EAVESDROPPING!" Gar exclaimed as his head grew big and the loudness of his voice almost blew Enid away. "But Enid is right K.O. You don't have to fight. While some kids may think you are a wuss, that's not going to ruin your reputation as a hero. Everyone here in the plaza appreciates your service to them as a hero. Not to mention you're in elementary school. Whatever petty things kids call you wear off quickly."

"Yeah K.O., it doesn't matter what a random bully goes spouting to his classmates," Enid said as she walked over to K.O. and picked him up, giving him a hug. "All that matters are what your true friends think of you. Rad, Dendy, Mr. Gar and I think you're fantastic."

K.O.'s face lit up and he hugged her back.

"Well put Enid." Gar said. "Now if it were me in that bathroom, I might've stood up for myself. I know you didn't want to cause trouble, but you might've been able to scare him off or knock him down a few begs by not backing down. While not resorting to violence was a good option, you shouldn't have let him get in your head. And since he hit you first, that becomes a case of self-defense. Even if you get in trouble, he threw the first punch. He's getting the harsher end of the punishment."

"D'oh! Then I should've just power fisted him, and my problems would be over!" K.O. said slapping his head with his fists, still in Enid's arms.

"Let's not get hung up on what could've happened," Gar said. "Now, do you feel any better kiddo?"

"A little bit." K.O. said. "I guess I did overreact to what everyone else would think," K.O. said, rubbing the back of his head and blushing. "And I forgot just how understanding and supportive everyone is. I forget that like everyone on the Plaza, I'm a hero too, and I've fought my fair share of battles."

"That's the spirit K.O.!" Enid said as she tossed K.O. into air, where he did a flip and landed on her head.

"But what do I do about tomorrow? I mean I could go fight him and win, but still run the risk of getting in trouble. And honestly, I don't want to fight him. I know I can just avoid him and leave, but I'm afraid he might corner me again."

"If he wants to pick a fight, try to walk away," Gar said. Tell him you only fight for justice, and that he can't do anything to hurt your pride! You're standing your ground and being the bigger man! But if fighting is the only option, like if he corners you or something, then let him have it!"

K.O. thought about this and smiled with determination. "Yeah! I don't care that some jerk wants to fight me! He's not worth it! I have the iron spirit!

Gar let out a hardy laugh. "That's the spirit son!" He then checked his watch and peered outside the door. "You know, nobody is really going to come in today. K.O., how about we go for some ice cream to help heal today's wounds?"

K.O.'s face lit up and he jumped from Enid's head onto Gar's right shoulder. "I'd love to!"

"Can I come too?" Enid asked.

"NO! This is for K.O. and I only!" Gar responded fiercely.

Enid looked at Gar with pleading, watery eyes. Gar looked over at K.O. who was doing the same, wanting Enid to come along.

Gar sighed and did a face palm. "Ugh, you kids with your unrelenting cuteness. Fine, she can come. Let's just go."

So, Gar walked out with K.O. on his shoulder, and Enid following behind. Rad was sitting near the front of the store, twirling a can with his powers.

"Oh, hey little squirt, feeling any better?" Rad asked

"Yeah! Just had a bad day," K.O. said.

"Heh, if only you were more like me! I don't have bad days!" Rad said. "But glad you're better K.O."

"Rad, watch the store. We're going to get ice cream," Gar said.

"Cool. Bring me back a popsicle," Rad said, still twirling the can.


	3. Chapter 3

**OK K.O.: The Fight**

Chapter 3

The trio walked over to ice cream vendor in the middle of the plaza. K.O. got a vanilla cone, Enid chocolate, and Gar mint chocolate chip, and they found a table to sit at. K.O. happily licked his cone while sitting between the other two.

"Hey Mr. Gar," K.O. said. "Earlier you said the bully used the 'toll' method. How did you know what that was?"

"Well ya see K.O., I wasn't always big strong Mr. Gar," he said. "I used to be nerdy, wimpy Eugene. All throughout my schooling days, I was constantly teased, harassed and bullied. I experienced most every method there was. The 'toll' method is self-explanatory. You pay the bully a fee and you leave the bathroom scot free. If not, then they beat ya."

"Did you ever try to fight?" K.O. asked.

"No, I knew I wasn't strong enough," Gar said. "I never attempted to stand up for myself. But when I discovered the weight room in middle school, I worked out relentlessly. I wanted to get buff like the wrestlers I grew up idolizing. Now, look at me!" Gar then put a foot up on table and flexed.

"Woooah! That's a cool story Mr. Gar!" K.O. gushed.

"And after I got buff, I started wrestling," Gar said. "You've seen my old outfit. I partially kept the nerd look, with the big glasses and the bow tie. The glasses were prescription, but the bow tie was to represent the bow ties I wore every day, and got beat up in. I wanted to be an inspiration for all the nerds out there who were oppressed for being who they are! I wanted to show the world that nerds mean business! And eventually, I was noticed by P.O.I.N.T. and the rest is history."

"Wow Mr. Gar, that's kind of sad yet uplifting. I take it you still where the tie in honor of where you came from?" Enid asked/

"No, just wanted to be more formal. I hung up the old bow tie after leaving P.O.I.N.T.," Gar said.

"Maybe… I should wear a bowtie!" K.O. said.

"Nah K.O., I can't see you rocking a bowtie and looking tough," Enid said. "I think you should stick to the headband. Looks a lot better on you."

"You're right Enid," K.O. said. "I remember my mommy gave me this headband, I've worn it for years." K.O. then paused. "OMIGOSH MOMMY! I haven't told her about today yet. I don't think she'll be back till after I go to bed. I won't have time to tell her about it. She also left her phone at home, so I can't call her."

"Let me handle that K.O." Gar said. "I'll talk to her about it tonight. You don't worry about it. Just take the advice Enid and I gave you and use it tomorrow. I'm sure Carol would've told you the same thing we did."

The group continued chatting and laughing. K.O. ordered Rad's popsicle before they left. They got back to the Bodega where nothing happened the rest of the day. K.O. took the time to text Dendy and explain everything that had happened.

Eventually the sun began to set, and Rad and Enid clocked out. K.O. waited patiently outside waiting for Mr. Gar to finish up and lock up. Gar oversaw getting K.O. home and helping him with homework. While he was waiting, he suddenly felt a pair of Kappa arms wrap around him.

"K.O.! I'm so sorry about today!" said Dendy as she hugged K.O. and a cheer was heard in the background.

K.O. blushed. "Hehe, hey Dendy. Didn't expect to see you out here," He said. Dendy put him down.

"I had to come here with my dad to get a few things," Dendy said. "I figured you'd still be here and wanted to come cheer you up after you had texted me about everything. That's what friends do."

"I really appreciate it Dendy," K.O. said.

"So, what are you planning on doing tomorrow?"

"I know he beat me up today, and that does make me angry. I think I'll tell the principal or Ms. Quantum about it. If he still tries to fight, I think I'll just walk away. He can spread whatever rumors he wants, I don't care what he thinks. I'd rather save my energy for fighting bad guys!"

"That would likely be the wisest decision. You'd walk away being the bigger person. Plus, the possibility of others believing his rumors are unlikely seeing as most everyone knows of your previous acts of heroism. Hopefully he doesn't corner you like he did today."

"Yeah. I guess I'd have to fight at that point. I'd have no other choice."

"Well, if it does come to that, I believe in you K.O. You can easily beat him if you must. But I think the way you're approaching the situation is very mature."

"Thanks Dendy!"

Mr. Gar then walked out of the store and locked the door.

"Here's your backpack K.O. And hello Dendy," Gar said.

"Hello Mr. Gar," she said. "I will you see tomorrow K.O." She gave him another quick hug before walking away.

"Spending time with your girlfriend, eh K.O.?" Gar teased.

"Uhhhhh, well, I mean, uh…" K.O. said, unsure how to respond.

"Ha-ha, only teasing ya kiddo. Let's get you home."

The two hopped into Gar's car, and sped off towards K.O.'s house/

Once there, Gar attempted to make K.O. spaghetti but ended up burning it somehow. He then tried to make a sandwich, which was successful, but then it combusted as well. Gar then gave up and ordered pizza while K.O. did his homework.

"Mr. Gar, is it bad to somewhat dislike a teacher?" K.O. asked as he finished up his work.

"You mean hate a teacher? Oh sure," Gar said. "When you get to high school, you'll hate most of them. Believe me."

"Huh, well I don't hate Ms. Quantum, but she picks on me and Dendy a lot."

"I hear she's a piece of work. Just focus on passing her class and next year you'll have someone new."

The two watched TV and ate pizza together. K.O. really enjoyed hanging out with Mr., Gar. Almost on the same level he liked hanging out with his mother.

"Hey Mr. Gar, you knew my dad, right?" K.O. asked.

Mr. Gar got a bit nervous with the question. "I did, K.O."

"What would he have done in my situation?"

"Y'know, I think he'd do the same thing you plan to do. Your father fought for what was right. I don't think he would've wanted you to focus your energy on fighting wanna-be bullies when there are bigger threats in the world. But I think he would've at least stood up to the bully in your situation."

K.O. looked down, and then back up at Mr. Gar. "Do you think he would've liked me?

Gar looked K.O. directly in the eyes. "K.O., he would have loved you. Everything you've done for the people of the plaza, he would've taken great pride in that. He would be proud of the fine young man you are. I know I am."

K.O. smiled and gave Gar a hug. Gar returned the hug.

"C'mon K.O., let's get you bathed and into bed. I'm gonna teach you how to use the shower. You're too old for the bathtub."

"Yay! Shower!"

After K.O. showered, he put on pajamas and jumped into bed.

"Goodnight Mr. Gar!" he said.

"Night K.O.," Gar said. He almost shut the door, but poked his head back in. "Stay off your phone. You know how your mother gets when she catches you."

A little bit after Gar left, K.O. pulled the covers over his face and began texting Dendy once again:

"Hey Dendy."

"Hello K.O. Texting instead of getting adequate rest again?"

"Just a little bit before I doze off. I did go to bed a little bit early."

"You're just making excuses, so we can communicate."

"Lol, you're right."

"Did you see Red Action leveled up today? It says so in her Pow card."

"I traded you my Red Action this morning. The Pow card machine at work was broke."

"Oh, yes. My apologies."

"Ha-ha. It's no problem. Oh btw, any chance you could do me a favor tomorrow?"

"Of course, K.O. What do you need?"

"Help me out tomorrow. In any way you can,"

"Already on it K.O. In the event you wanted to avoid the fight, I routed the quickest ways to exit the school both normally and through destruction. I also made a list of things you could say to the bully in the case he approached you, such as threats and easy distractions. In the event of a fight, I have nothing. I predict you will likely only need a single punch to win the fight. The student you described has no data. I have never seen him before, so I can't collect anything, but he appears to have no Pow card, so his level can only be 0."

"Wow wasn't asking for that much help. But I appreciate it Dendy. I don't think I'd be anywhere without you."

"That is sweet of you to say K.O. But really I would have gotten nowhere without your help."

"I guess we make a good team!"

"Yes, we do. You need sleep now K.O."

"Hey, you can't tell…" He then passed out, and his phone fell onto the floor.


	4. Chapter 4

**OK K.O.: The Fight**

Chapter 4

Meanwhile, Gar was sitting out on the couch, watching wrestling on the TV. After a while, Carol came busting in through the roof of the house. "Hiya Gene!"

"Ok, I know I don't live here, but why does everyone insist on destroying ceilings instead of walking into the door?"

"Dramatic effect. And it looks cool." Carol responded before he gave him a peck on the cheek.

"I guess you're right. I did destroy my own ceiling earlier today. Guess I'm a hypocrite."

"You're a lot of things Gene, but I'll add hypocrite to list." She then walked over to the kitchen counter and grabbed her phone, then walked back to the couch.

"It was nice being out there and not being controlled by this thing. Anyways, how was K.O. today?"

"He's was good. Did his homework and all that."

"You two get a chance to bond at all?"

"Yeah, we did. Bonded over pizza and old wrestling matches." He then paused. "Oh, and uh…" He couldn't quite put into words what to say.

"C'mon Gene, spit it out!"

` "Well, K.O. had something happen at school today… he got punched."

Carol's face became mortified. "Oh, dear! Is he alright!? What happened?"

"He's fine, Carol…" He then proceeded to explain the whole situation to her, from the details he knew.

"Oh, the poor thing! He probably had no idea what to do! Usually he panics and runs around aimlessly! I thought Lakewood public would be safe! He probably got hit and didn't want to fight back because he didn't want me to be mad for getting in trouble!"

"Calm down Carol! Breathe!"

Carol regained herself after a few moments but was nonetheless concerned. "I should have been here to help him! What did you tell him?"

"It's not your fault Carol, there was no way you could've predicted this," Gar said. "I told him fighting someone who isn't an evil villain is likely a waste of time. I told him to stand up for himself, and fight if he feels it's necessary."

"Not bad advice, Eugene. Thank you. Hopefully K.O. doesn't have to fight. Lakewood has some very strict rules about it. I just wish he had told the principal. I'll give him a call tomorrow. I just hope this doesn't have too negative an effect on him. He's a smart boy. I'd hate for school to be a place he's afraid to go."

"I think K.O. will be fine. He got over it all quickly. Plus, I think he knows what he wants to do about the situation. I'll trust his judgement. Now don't beat yourself up for not being here. That's what you got me for."

Carol looked up at Gar. "Thank you, Gene. Thank you for being his male role model."

"I enjoy doing it. He's a great kid."

"Well of course he is. He's my kid after all."

The two shared a laugh. Everything was calmed down. Carol was put at ease by how Gar handled the situation, and she was going to make a call to the principal to try and help the situation.

A little bit later, Gar went home. Carol snuck into K.O.'s bedroom. She picked up his phone laying on the ground.

"Again K.O.? At least it was to the girlfriend of yours," she thought.

She put the phone down and kissed him on the forehead before sneaking back out of the room.

K.O. woke up the next morning. He sat up and yawned. "Good morning Mr. Sun!"

"Good morning K.O.," said the sun in a calm, deep voice.

"Since when could the sun talk?" K.O. asked himself.

"You must still be half asleep puddin'" Carol said, standing in the doorway, fresh out of bed.

"Mommy!" K.O. exclaimed, running over to Carol and jumping into her arms. "I missed you yesterday!"

"I missed you too sweetie! I heard about what happened at school yesterday," she said, concerned.

"Yeah, it was rotten," K.O. said. "But Mr. Gar and Enid helped me out. I'm ok now!"

Carol laughed. "That's my strong boy!" She paused. "K.O., I'll get right to the chase. I can't be there to help the situation. I'll call the principal, but there's still a chance you'll still get confronted. So, I'm gonna ask you this: what do you plan to do about this situation?"

"I'm just going to walk out after the days over. I don't think it's worth the energy to fight this guy. I'd rather save my energy for fighting robots. If he confronts me, I'll stand up for myself. But I think he's all talk, I don't think he'll try to fight if I don't act scared."

Carol smiled. "You're a smart kid K.O. If you must fight him, sock it to me'! I'll handle whatever punishment the school tries to throw at ya. No principal, or man for that matter, is no match for arguing with a suburban mother."

"Huh, no wonder I never win any arguments."

"You're funny K.O." She tossed K.O. into the air, where he did a flip and he landed on his feet. "I'll make you breakfast before I leave. Mr. Gar will drive you today."

K.O. got dressed and walked towards the kitchen, where Carol set his breakfast on the table.

"Alright K.O., I gotta go," she said as she kissed him on his forehead. "Remember, stand up for yourself. I'll handle whatever the aftermath might be."

"Thanks mommy! I love you!"

"Love you too sweetie! I'll see you after school!"

She left and K.O. ate his breakfast. He thought about how the day would go. He still worried about how other kids might tease him for bailing from the fight. He didn't like being embarrassed. He didn't care for being a popular student, but he didn't want to be constantly laughed at. But he also knew that what mattered most was that no matter what others thought, he stood for justice, and he would continue to do so. He would continue to fight for others, even if they teased him.

K.O. finished his breakfast and let out a hardy belch. He then chuckled to himself.

"CLOSE YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU BURP YOUNG MAN!" screamed Mr. Gar, who seemed to appear out of nowhere. His booming voice pinned K.O. up against the upper cabinets. He flopped to the ground, and he lifted his head. "Sorry Mr. Gar."

"Mistakes happen. Just don't do that in front of your mother," Gar said. "Anyways, grab your bag. I'm taking you to school."

K.O. grabbed his backpack and walked out to Mr. Gars car. They two hopped in, and in a flash, they were at the school.

"Have a good day K.O. And hey…" Gar said.

K.O. looked back at Gar as he stepped out of the car.

"Don't be afraid. You're a better man than he is." Gar then drove off.

K.O. walked into the classroom. Ms. Quantum was busy on her phone, and half the class had not arrived yet. He walked over to his desk where Dendy was fiddling with keypad. He sat down, and was about to say hi, but Dendy began to speak.

"Here's the map of all the possible routes you can take," she said. "I also calculated every hypothetical event. Chances of not getting hurt or in trouble are highly in your favor."

"Thanks Dendy," K.O. said. "I'm not really concerned with percentages. I don't think there's anything to really worry about. Mommy is calling the principal. Hopefully he'll put a stop to it."

"K.O.!" yelled Ms. Quantum from her desk. "A word!"

K.O. got out of his seat and stepped out into the hallway. "Is something the matter Ms. Quantum?"

"You tell me," she began. "Yesterday you were acting strangely after you returned from the restroom. I might be rough, but I do care about you and your classmates. I could tell something happened between the bathroom and coming back to class yesterday. Did you clog it again? Walk into the girl's restroom? You can tell me. I won't relay it to anyone else."

"No Ms. Quantum," K.O. said. "I got beat up yesterday. I was scared to tell anyone. I didn't want to be a snitch."

"Oh K.O., that's stupid. The whole 'snitch stigma' was invented by bullies so they could get away with whatever they wanted. Trust me, I know."

"Yeah," he nervously chuckled. "I learned that after the fact. He wants to fight me today. But I don't really want to. I'm just going to avoid it."

"FIGHT! The last thing we need at this school is a fight! Who is this student that wants to fight you?!"

"I have no clue what his name is. He looks like a chameleon, lizard creature. I have no idea what his name is, but he knew mine."

"Interesting. Well look K.O., I'll inform the other teachers about the potential incident. I may be rough, but I do not want to see my students fighting each other. Heroes should focus on fighting real evil, not each other!"

"Wow, thank you Ms. Quantum! I had no clue you actually cared!"

"Of course, I do. But no telling other students! They perform better when under pressure and in fear of me! I want all my students to excel!"

K.O. nodded and they walked back into class.

The rest of the day went by swimmingly. K.O. truly felt he had nothing to worry about. The teachers and the principal were on full alert. Plus, he still had the confidence he would win of he had to fight.

The final bell finally rang. K.O. and Dendy stuck around and were the last to leave the classroom. They walked out into the hall. There was nobody in sight.

"Ok Dendy, what's the fastest route out of here?" K.O. said.

"If we cut through the east hallway, we can get to one of the sides exits," Dendy said. "It might be a bit risky, however. That goes through one of the busier hallways in the school."

"We stuck around here for a while. I think we'll be ok," K.O. responded.

So, the two walked out of the classroom. There were still a few students hanging around the halls, but no sign of the bully. The pair walked down the hall and took a right. No one down the next hall. They walked to the end of that hallway, and to their left at the end of the hall was an exit. They thought they were in the clear.

K.O. let out a sigh. "Good. We can get out of here!"

"K.O., there was something I overlooked in my analysis," Dendy said as they began walking down the hall. "Even if you do not encounter him, he will be here next week. He will likely still want to fight."

"I didn't really think about that," K.O. said. "I figured if I avoided the fight, he would spread rumors about me, and not want to fight after that."

"And you'd be half-right about that assumption," said a voice from behind them.


	5. Chapter 5

**OK K.O.: The Fight**

Chapter 5

The pair turned around, and there was the bully, walking towards them with a crowd of students.

"I would have done that, but I knew that I'd be able to hunt you down and fight you TODAY!" the bully said, smiling smugly.

"Gah! Just leave me alone!" K.O. said. "I don't want to fight. Just let me walk out. Spread whatever dumb rumors you want. I don't care."

"But you see, doing so wouldn't be as effective as going face to face with you. I want to personally embarrass you in front of everyone," the bully said.

"I won't give you the satisfaction," K.O. said. "We're walking out." He and Dendy turned to walk out. They were then surrounded by a crowd of students, chanting for a fight.

"I guess you have no choice no, wuss!"

"Hey! I'm no wuss!" K.O. said, slowly approaching the bully. "I was trying to be the better man and not resort to violence. I fight for peace and justice, not for petty reasons like this. I don't care what you did to my eye, nor do I care about whatever insults you want to throw at me. You're not worth the effort to fight. You're just a stupid bully, spouting nothing but dumb threats."

The bully's face turned red with anger, and steam came out of his ears. He reeled back and rocketed his wrist forward with all his might.

The fist connected with something, but nothing happened. K.O. was still standing. Arms crossed, with a stern expression,

The bully threw another punch, and then another. And another. Each punch kept bouncing off, as if K.O. was surrounded by a shield.

"WHAT'S GOING ON!" screamed the bully. The crowd of students were now silent.

"I don't believe it," Dendy said. "This is something that goes beyond scientific explanation."

"NERD GIRL! EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT'S HAPPENING TO WUSS-BOY! WHY WON'T HE FEEL PAIN!" screamed the bully.

"It's K.O.'s iron spirit," Dendy said. "His inner strength and determination have created an armor of sorts. K.O. has a very high pain tolerance. His guard was let down the other day, which is how you hurt his eye. But now his guard is up, and determination to not fight is high. He is determined to not throw a punch, and that is giving him the extra push."

"UGH! WHY!" the bully screamed.

"Because I know better," K.O. said. "I know true heroes shouldn't let a jerk like you get the best of them. You're all bark, very little bite. You only bruised me because my guard was down."

"Hey! You two! Quite fighting!" screamed Ms. Quantum, running down the hall with the principal.

"AHHH! NO INTERFERENCE!" the bully said. He them breathed fire in a large circle, encircling himself, K.O., and Dendy in a ring of fire. Students began running, and the flames raised high enough to where the adults could not get around it.

"He's a dragon K.O.! Only dragons can breathe fire to that capacity!"

"Ugh! What is your deal dude?" K.O. exclaimed. "You're putting people in danger! Over 5 techno's?! At this point, you've become a villain!"

"It's not about the money you dope!" the bully said.

Dendy, meanwhile, took out her hack pack and began running code to try and douse the flames. "Give me a moment K.O.! I'll get us out of here."

"Oh no you don't lady!" The bully shot towards Dendy, pulling back his fist and screaming loudly.

Dendy did not see this coming, and knew she was in immediate danger. She had nowhere to run.

K.O. stepped in front of the punch, catching the fist in his right hand, causing a huge gust of wind from the impact.

"Don't you DARE lay a FINGER on HER!" K.O. said. At this point, K.O. knew action had to be taken.

He kicked the bully up into the air. "Ugggh!" the bully grunted.

K.O. then jumped into the air, he stopped close to the ceiling and hovered in place. He reeled back his fist, which began to glow blue.

"Grrrrrr!" K.O. grunted.

"Wuh, what's happening?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" bully shrieked.

The glow on K.O.'s fist grew larger and glowed more brightly. The room began to shake. All the lights went out in the hallway. K.O.'s fist then began to rocket forward. "POWERRRRRRRRR! FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIST!" K.O. shouted as his voice echoed loudly across the hall. His fist slammed into the bully's face extremely hard, and the impact rocketed him to the ground. The impact shook the school even harder, and the impact caused dust clouds to rise from where the bully hit the ground.

Everything then began to calm down. The massive gust of air from the punch put out the ring of fire. K.O. landed on the ground on his right hand and knee. The smoke cleared, and the bully was laying knocked out in a crater that was many feet deep.

There was silence. The other students looked at K.O., shocked and somewhat mortified. Ms. Quantum was holding a fire extinguisher, covered in dust, as was the principle. K.O. then slowly walked up the crater.

"You put everyone in danger with your fire, then directly attacked an innocent person," K.O. said. "You were acting like someone evil, so I had no choice but to treat you as such. I tried my best to avoid something like this from happening, but you wouldn't give up. You brought this on yourself." K.O. then extended his hand to help the bully up.

The bully was still very dazed, but he grabbed K.O.'s hand and got to his feet. K.O. put the bully's arm over his shoulder. "Ms. Quantum, Mr. Principal, I know you guys probably need an explanation, but I think I should take him to the nurses office first."

"That's fine, but come to my office immediately after," said the principal.

So K.O. walked his adversary to the nurse's office. He knocked on the door and walked in. The nurse was a tall, blonde haired young lady. She was starting to pack up her things when K.O. walked in. "Oh, hello K.O.! Still not wearing shoes? You'd stop getting those splinters if you did."

"It's a long story, but this guy needs some attention," K.O. said. "He's pretty dazed, and he got hit pretty hard."

"Oh my! I'll check him out right away!" the nurse said. She started getting her equipment back out.

"Thank you. Sorry it's so late in the day," K.O. said, rubbing the back of his head and feeling somewhat guilty.

"It's not a problem. A students health is the most important thing."

K.O. exited the office and made his way to the principal's office


	6. Chapter 6

**OK K.O.: The Fight**

Chapter 6

K.O. then walked back towards the principal's office. There were three chairs sitting outside of it, and Dendy occupied one of them.

"Oh, Dendy!" K.O. said, as he started to jog towards her. "You're still here!"

"Of course, K.O.," she responded. "The principal is talking to Ms. Quantum. He said for you to wait out here."

"Ok, cool," he said as he sat himself on one of the chairs. "You can leave if need be. I don't want to keep you from anything important."

"It seems you have forgotten that I am spending the afternoon at your house, K.O."

"Oh yeah! Today's my day off! We planned this out last week! I even made a schedule of everything we were going to do, since I know you like organization." He then pulled out his frog-cased phone and pulled up the calendar app and showed it to Dendy.

"Wow K.O., that's very thoughtful of you. And your organization is quite admirable."

"Hehehe, thanks Dendy," K.O. said blushing and rubbing the back of his head. "We're supposed to be on our way to the Bodega with my mom to get snacks and supplies for tonight. Wait, if we're not out there to get picked up, then what is mommy doing without us showing up?"

"Don't worry about that K.O., I got a call from the school," said Carol as she appeared, standing in front of them. "Care to tell me what happened?"

"There was no escaping it. It turns out he was a dragon, and he had the power to trap us in a fire ring! He kept trying to attack me, and when he attacked Dendy, I figured he had gone too far," K.O. said.

"It should be said that K.O. did not throw a punch throughout most of the sequence of events," Dendy chimed in. "His iron spirit was like a shield that protected him from damage. He only threw a power fist to prevent any harm from happening to me, or any more potential harm falling upon our fellow students."

"Then I guess that's the lesson for today K.O.," Carol said as she knelt in front of K.O. and put a hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes when you're a hero, you'll have no choice to fight. Sometimes you won't want to, but a hero sometimes must make tough decisions. You did what you felt you had to do to protect someone you love. I know it wasn't an easy decision, but it was the one you felt was right. The principal said you did quite a bit of damage, but I guess it was necessary. Anyways, I'm proud of you for trying to act mature, and I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself K.O."

"Thanks mommy," K.O. said, smiling.

The principal then opened the door. "Ah, Ms. Carol. Would you step in here please?"

She walked inside, and the principal shut the door. K.O. and Dendy were alone once again.

"Hey Dendy, it says here on my schedule we should currently be trading Pow Cards," K.O. said looking at his phone. "That's something we can do while we sit here."

"That will be good to pass the time," Dendy responded as she placed down her hackpack and opened her Pow Card slot.

"You might need to hook me up with one of those compartments someday Dendy," K.O. said. "I'm running out of room in my binder."

"Perhaps that could be arranged. But it would require a lot of engineering and modifying of your backpack."

The two sat and traded, while chatting about their favorite heroes. While they were doing so, the bully came walking up, holding an ice pack on his eye. He took the chair next to K.O. and scooted it several feet away before sitting in it.

He sat there while K.O. and Dendy stared at him. They stared back at each other, then back to the bully.

K.O. would be the one to break the silence. "Hey, uh… are you ok?"

The bully sighed. "I'll be fine. Back hurts, black eye. Nothing broken."

"Oh, well that's good to know," K.O. said before chuckling nervously.

"Yeah…" the bully said before trailing off. Silence filled the hallway once again.

"Look, I… I'm sorry…" said the bully.

K.O. looked over at the bully, eyes with intrigue.

"I just wanted things to be different here," the bully said.

"What do you mean?" asked K.O.

There was a pause. "This is the second time I've had to move to a new school. The last school I was in was Neo Riot City Public," the bully said. "I already had to move away from friends the first time. And when I got there, I got the snot beaten out of me repeatedly. Every day, the same routine of going to class, and getting beat up straight after."

"That's horrible," K.O. said. "Having to live in Neo Riot City and get bullied daily. Is that why you became the bully here?"

"Pretty much," the bully said. "I figured people wouldn't be as tough here. I thought maybe if I became the bully, people would leave me alone. I guess I messed with the wrong guy."

"You should've just been yourself," K.O. said. "And try to make new friends like you did at your first school."

"I tried doing that at Neo," the bully said. "But over there it's all about who's the toughest. No one really cared about friendships there."

"Well Lakewood is different," K.O. said, standing up on his chair. Dendy pulled up a triumphant music track to play as background noise. "At Lakewood, sure, we have our rotten people, but most everyone is kind hearted and friendly. If you try, then you're bound to make all kinds of friends. And sure, sometimes we may fight one another, but that's usual out of a sense of fun and sport. Don't try to be something you're not. Neo Riot city is a dangerous place. The fact you survived is cool! But give Lakewood a chance! Don't be the bully Neo wanted you to be, be the YOU that YOU want to be!"

Dendy stopped the music and started clapping. She also played an audio file of a crowd clapping and cheering.

The bully sat and stared at K.O. with amazement. "No one's ever told me to be just me before, well except for my dad," the bully said. "I guess you're right. I honestly don't want to bully people. I just thought it was how I'd get by." He paused. "Hey, are you guys trading Pow Cards? I have a collection!" He then pulled a small deck out of his bag.

K.O. and Dendy looked at each other and smiled. "Well we would be glad to have you join us."

"Wow really? Awesome!" the bully scooted his chair back over to them. "Oh, I never actually introduced myself. I'm Max!"

"Nice to meetcha'!" K.O. said. The three then spent some time trading their Pow Cards. Max had an interest in heroes such as Sparko and Elodie. He also had some retro Pow Cards of some older P.O.I.N.T. members.

"I think the only older P.O.I.N.T. member I'm missing is a retro silver spark," Max said.

"I have one, but it's framed and sitting at home. It's holographic too!" K.O. said.

"Wow, there were only around 200 of those printed. Do you know silver spark personally or something?"

"Yeah, she's my mom!"

"Seriously!?"

Just then, Carol came out of the office. "Hey kids, the principal and Ms. Quantum want to see you." She looked down and saw they were all trading together. "Ha, well would you look at that. You guys became friends."

The three put up their decks and they all walked into the office, sitting in chairs in front of the principal's desk.


	7. Chapter 7

**OK K.O.: The Fight**

Chapter 7

"Alright, I know we all got places to be, and we all know what happened, so let's get right to it. Ms. Dendy," the principal said, pointing at Dendy. "You are an eye witness. I saw most of what happened, but I want your testimony."

"I have video recorded from my hackpack recorded on everything that happened," Dendy said. "Allow me to show you."

The recording hologram came up, displaying all the events from K.O. trying to walk out, to the power fist.

"Well, very incriminating on both you boys," the principal said. "You Mr. Scales for starting the fight and endangering other students. Not to mention what K.O. and Ms. Carol claimed to have happened yesterday.

"Yeah, I know," Max said. "I admit to everything I did, including yesterday in the bathroom. The reason I did everything I did was because I was scared. I came from a bad school where it was essentially survival of the fittest."

"Neo Riot Public correct?" the principal asked. "I think I saw that in your file. I'd agree you came from less than favorable conditions, but that does not take away from your actions today. Your will serve 2 months detention, be suspended for two days, and will be required to go to counseling for the remainder of the school year. Your father has been called and informed on these charges."

"Aw great," Max said. "I get to be further in the hole."

"Mr. Principal, would it be possible for his punishment to be taken away, or be less severe out of forgiveness?" K.O. asked as a mini fireworks show appeared above his head, spelling out the word "FORGIVENESS."

Carol chuckled a slight bit.

"What?" the principal said in a smart-alec tone. "Did you guys become friends and make up in the 11 minutes since you took him to the nurses office?"

"We did, actually!" K.O. said.

"It was quite the spectacle," Dendy said. "Out of all my calculations, the odds of that outcome were well below .0000001 percent."

"Wow!" K.O. and Max said in unison.

"I think you should consider that sir," said Ms. Quantum, who had been silent since the kids walked in. "I don't think he should be off scot free, since he did endanger the students, but I'm willing to believe K.O. that Max has turned a new leaf. He's one of my more honest pupils."

"Silence Quantum," the principal said. I'm afraid science won't help either of you. You're in trouble too K.O. You're getting three weeks after school detention."

"Aww…" K.O. said as he began to deflate. Dendy coded a bicycle pump and stuck into his side and she began to pump him back up.

"Seriously?!" Carol said angrily. She then approached the desk and got in his face. "After you saw video proof of the kid DEFENDING himself and his friend? And after I called you, and YOU failed to do anything about it?!"

The principal's face got red and he began sweating profusely.

"And after I informed you of what K.O. told me?" Ms. Quantum said. "You do realize K.O. saved the students from potential danger. I don't agree with this, sir!"

K.O. was pumped up back to normal. "Uh, mommy?"

"You kids might want to go outside for this," Carol said.

"I agree," Ms. Quantum said. "This might get hairy. Not to mention I've yet to see my bonus in my mailbox. I think it's time someone pays."

The three walked outside and sat back down.

"So, you said you're already in trouble with your dad?" K.O. asked Max.

"Yeah," Max said with a sigh. "We got into an argument the other night. Wasn't pretty. I know he's going to be disappointed in me. He barely even comes home because he works so much."

"Well, I bet he'll be happy that you made so much progress today!" K.O. said. "Sure, he'll be mad about most everything that happened, but I think he'll like that you learned from it."

"Maybe… I don't know," Max said.

A large figure then came walking from the end of the hall. It was a tall, long necked dragon in a suit. He walked up to the kids and breathed fire. "MAAAAAX!" he said as he voiced echoed throughout the halls.

"Hey dad," Max said.

"You picked a fight and now you're getting suspended," his dad said. "Care to explain yourself?"

K.O. was about to say something, but Max stopped him.

"Look, dad, I'm sorry," Max said. "There's no excuse for what I did, but we've moved two times this year, and at Neo Riot, I got beat up bad! No one ever helped me. I figured I'd have to fight someone first to avoid that, and well… that backfired. But K.O. here forgave me! He even stood up for me and tried to get my punishment lessened! I know I shouldn't have tried to fight anyone, but I felt I had no choice! But thanks to K.O., I know Lakewood is different! I can be myself again! And know we're friends! I know what I did was wrong, but please understand and be happy I learned something!"

HIs dad looked at him sternly.

"And things at home haven't been great either," Max said. "I understand you need to work a lot, but we don't get to spend much time together. And we're always at each other's neck over things. I'm tired of constantly arguing! It doesn't help our situation!"

His dad looked at the kids sternly. Eventually, he gave up the tough guy act and sighed.

"I guess I haven't been much help," his dad said. "I took you away from friends. And I've been working too much. I haven't been the best father. I've been so tired and angry lately, since your mother passed. Things at the office are terrible too. It is extremely stressful, and I'm afraid I've taken some of my frustrations out on you. For that, I need to apologize to you. I'm glad you were able to learn something before things got any worse."

"Yeah, K.O. is actually really cool," Max said, and he and K.O. fist bumped. "I'm not going to bully anyone anymore! I'm going to be myself!"

"Makes me proud to here that, son," his dad said. "But you're still going to be grounded for this incident. Even if you learned a lesson, it needs to be reinforced."

"I know dad," Max said.

"Hopefully you guys can become a lot closer now that you understand one another," K.O. said.

"Calculations don't need to be run to determine that's a 100% possibility," Dendy said.

"Say, where are you kid's parents?" Max's dad asked.

"We're going to my house today," K.O. said. "My mom is talking to the principal right now."

Just then, the principals body came screaming out of the door, and into some lockers. He was very dazed.

"K-K.O…." he said in a daze, "N-n-n-o punishment. Mr. Scales, no suspension, still two months detention. Urghhhh." He then passed out.

Carol emerged from the hole in the door, re-tightening her gloves.

"Thanks for the help, Quantum," she said. "I think that bonus will show up soon."

"Not a problem Ms. Kincaid," Ms. Quantum said. "Guy's a terrible boss anyways. No harm to me if I get fired. School board will hire me back."

"Oh hey, you must be Mr. Scales," Carol said. "The names Carol. How are ya?"

"I'm alright," he said as he walked over to her. "The kids were filling me in on the situation. Sorry about everything. We've had some troubles at home, and we've had to move a few times."

"Well it certainly scared me, but the kids became friends over it all, so I guess it all worked out," she said.

"I'm certainly glad about that," he said. He then started talking in a low volume, so the kids wouldn't hear. "Things have been hard for him. We lost his mother over a year ago. It's been hard for me too."

"Hey, I understand," she said. "I've lost someone close to me too. I've raised that boy his entire life. Single parenting has it's roadblocks, but it's well worth it."

"Hehehe, you're right about that," he said. "I just wish work didn't keep me so occupied."

"Why don't get a new job?" Carol said. "There's plenty of openings at Lakewood Plaza Turbo. It's close to the school. Your kid can walk their every day. That's what mine does."

They kept talking while the kids went back to comparing pow cards.

"Hey K.O., I want to give you this," Max said before handing K.O. a throwback Rippy Roo card. "This can commemorate our friendship. I'll give you an old El-Bow one Dendy. As an apology, and a gesture of friendship."

"That's quite alright, Max," Dendy said. "I accept your apology and accept your friendship."

Carol and Mr. Scales finished talking. They walked over to the kids.

"C'mon Max, let's get going," Mr. Scales said.

"Alright dad." Max collected his deck and turned to K.O. and Dendy. "Thanks guys. You really helped me."

K.O. and Dendy smiled as Max and his dad walked off.

Carol walked over and put her fists on her hips.

"Alright guys let's head to Gars to get snacks," Carol said. "I gotta get Eugene his allergy medicine."

"Woohoo!" K.O. exclaimed as the group walked out of the school together.

They went to Gars and stocked up while K.O. also told the whole story to Rad and Enid. Dendy, of course, played the video footage to back it all up. They both enjoyed the story for the violence and for its heartwarming ending. Mr. Gar was filled in by Carol and was proud K.O. stood up for himself.

K.O. and Dendy spent the rest of the afternoon together. They played video games, watched a few movies, some action, some science fiction (K.O. didn't like them, but he got them because he knew Dendy would). They practiced battle moves, had pizza for dinner, and they messed around with photo filters on K.O.'s phone.

It was very late at this point. Carol set up a mattress for Dendy next to K.O.'s bed while the two changed into their pj's. K.O. hopped into bed, while Dendy took off her glasses and set them on K.O.'s nightstand before laying under the blankets of the mattress.

"You kids had a long day," Carol said as she stood by the door. "Be sure to get some rest. We got more going on tomorrow. Love you K.O., night Dendy."

"Goodnight mommy!" K.O. said.

"Goodnight Ms. Kincaid," Dendy said.

Carol turned off the light and went downstairs. Mr. Gar would eventually show up after a late night and the two watched wrestling together.

"Boy, I tell ya Gene," she began. "That boy sure can leave an impact on people."

"I know," Gar said. "Employee morale is at an all-time high and sales are through the roof."

"Ugh, Gene!" Carol said before jabbing him in the chest, both laughing.

"I'm joking! I'm joking… kind of," Gar said. "I know what you mean. The kid is going to do great things. He's truly special. Probably gets it from his mother."

"Oh Gene!" Carol said. The two then shared a kiss.

Back in K.O.'s room, he and Dendy were still wide awake.

"So K.O.," Dendy said. "How does it feel to have Mr. Gar as a potential step dad?"

"I like it," K.O. said. "Having my boss be my big man and seeing my mom happy! Nothing could be better!" He then paused. "Hmm…"

"Something the matter, K.O.?"

"No, I was just thinking about the fact that… I'LL be married someday."

"The odds of that happening are heavily in your favor. You possess many traits that will develop into desirable traits that mature women love."

"I've actually been thinking about WHO I'd be married to. There's a lot of girls at my school. Then there's Enid, but she's probably going to end up with Rad. I know I'm only 6-11, but it's just fun to think about the future sometimes."

"I agree. It is rather amusing to ponder one's future. I don't even do calculations. It's a lot more fun to merely speculate." Dendy then began to close her eyes.

"Hey, maybe we'd get married! That'd be kind of cool!"

Dendy's eyes shot open, and she was blushing profusely. "What are you implying K.O.?"

"You and me. We're already best friends, and you're the girl I probably know the most. Not to mention we like similar things and fight well together. We could become a hero couple, like my mom and dad were."

"Um, yes. Maybe. I like your observation and use of logic K.O.," Dendy said nervously. "I think it's best we get some sleep."

"Right! Night Dendy!" K.O. then fell asleep a few seconds later.

Dendy would wake up later in the night and pull up K.O.'s profile on her hackpack. She updated his "allies" section to include Max. She also did some work on Max's profile. She was about to put up her pack and go back to sleep, she decided to make one final update to K.O.'s profile. She scrolled to a slot that read "love-interests" and put "Dendy (Self)."

"Perhaps one day K.O. One's future cannot be entirely calculated by numbers." She then closed the hackpack and went back to sleep.

While sleeping, K.O. decided to visit T.K.O.'s house. He walked into the house and saw T.K.O. playing some guitar hero esc game. "Oh, sup loser. Why have you blessed me with your unholy presence tonight?"

"Why didn't you show up when I was getting bullied?" K.O. asked. "Usually you like to weigh in on situations like this."

"Teh, easy. I loved watching you suffer and be all sad. The fact you bested him was a fluke. Somewhat impressive, but still a fluke."

"You tend to get angry at me when you think I'm being weak, since this is our body. Usually you like to scold me and tell me what I should do."

"Well, maybe I got lazy. Ever think of that?"

"T.K.O., you may be lazy, but you're usually one to take action."

T.K.O. then sighed. "Ugh, fine. I didn't help because I wanted to see you get over this yourself. I may be in your body, but we're separate beings. I wanted to see you get through it on your own, because I knew you could. I guess what I'm trying to say is… I was rooting for you. I didn't to be unleashed and cause more problems."

"So, you were trying to save others from destruction, and help me grow! Aww! T.K.O.!" K.O. then walked over and hugged him. "It means a lot that you care!"

"Yeah, yeah. TELL NOBODY!"

"Ohhhh kay. If that's what you want."

"Yeah, it is. Anyways, you wanna play drums on this game? It's getting kinda stale on my own."

"Sure! Let's do it!"

The two jammed out together for a bit. Eventually, K.O. grew tired and decided to go back to reality. He came to in his bed where it was 1 a.m. He looked over at a sleeping Dendy and smiled, thinking about all they went through throughout the day. He rolled over and went to sleep, knowing the sun would soon great him to a bright new day.


End file.
